


Brave New Girl

by GayPrincess



Category: Power Rangers (2017)
Genre: Bullying, F/F, Genetic Disorders & Abnormalities, Homophobia, Internalized Homophobia
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-05
Updated: 2017-08-05
Packaged: 2018-12-11 08:15:55
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,261
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11710446
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GayPrincess/pseuds/GayPrincess
Summary: Another town, same doctor. Once again, The Gomez family was moving to follow Trini’s doctor, the only doctor that her family let her see. Trini hated her doctor. He would always somehow find a way to incorporate into conversation how the gays were going to hell and how LGBT was just a big scam. No matter what Trini tried, her parents would always pick up and move when the doctor was transferred somewhere else. The newest town was Angel Grove, a tiny little town that literally no one knows.





	Brave New Girl

**Author's Note:**

  * For [YoungatHeart21](https://archiveofourown.org/users/YoungatHeart21/gifts).



> As always feel free to leave feedback! Enjoy!

Another town, same doctor. Once again, The Gomez family was moving to follow Trini’s doctor, the only doctor that her family let her see. Trini hated her doctor. He would always somehow find a way to incorporate into conversation how the gays were going to hell and how LGBT was just a big scam. No matter what Trini tried, her parents would always pick up and move when the doctor was transferred somewhere else. The newest town was Angel Grove, a tiny little town that literally no one knows. In all honesty, Trini didn’t really care all that much about the moving, it was what it was doing to her little brothers. Mateo and Alec are tired of moving for Trini’s health. They just want to stay in one town where they can make friends and keep them. At five in the morning, their parents woke all of them up and rushed them into the car. As they pulled away from their old house, Trini looked over to her brothers to see them sadly staring down at their phones, trying not to focus on the fact that they are leaving and probably never coming back. Sighing, Trini put her headphones on, the screams pushing away any other thoughts in her head as they drove towards their new home. 

A few hours later, they pulled up to their new house and her brothers jumped out of the car. They began roughhousing in the yard while Trini slowly got out of the car, her muscles as stiff as a board. Her father rushed over, gripping her elbow to help her up, when Trini flinched at the touch. Touch was something that Trini had never really enjoy, especially when she has been poked and prodded by nurses her entire life, so her flinching away from her father’s touch was not something uncommon. He looked at her for reassurance before touching her again and Trini nodded, letting him carefully grasp her elbow. This chemo treatment was making Trini weaker each time that she was treated and it was frustrating for her. She was a very independent person and having to ask for help was something that she hated to do. Wincing, Trini stood up on shaky legs as her father led her into the house. Apparently, her room was set up ahead of time so that she could rest for her appointment the next morning. 

Trini has NF1 or  Neurofibromatosis type 1. It is a genetic disorder that meant that there were tumors in random parts of Trini’s body. None of them were cancerous, but her parents had opted for them to be treated, just in case. Every week, Trini would go into her doctor’s to get her chemo, which is intravenous, and she hated it. The needle piercing her skin and the smell of it was enough to make Trini throw up right then and there. What made it even worse was how her parents and the doctor would talk about all things religious while she was sitting right there. It never helped calm her down when her parents would just ignore her sitting there, shaking on the spot, as the doctor got closer with the needle. She knows that her parents care, but they never really comfort her when she is sitting there. 

Slowly, Trini made her way up the stairs with her dad by her side as her brothers helped their mother bring in the boxes. When they reached the top of the stairs, they walked a little further before her father opened the second to last door on their left. Walking into the room, Trini instantly felt at home with the yellow walls and all of her things already spread around. She hobbled over to her bed and smiled slightly at her father, signaling for him to let go of her. He gave her a kiss on the forehead before he let go of her and walked out of the room. Trini sighed, leaning back on her bed and staring at the ceiling. She closed her eyes and listened to the sound of her family unpacking their things once again. Just as she was about to fall asleep, she heard Mateo say something in Spanish to her mother.

 

“ _ Mom, why doesn’t Trini have to help us with the boxes? _ ”, Mateo whined as he set down another box of kitchen utensils. 

 

“ _ Because, child, she needs to rest. _ ”, June opened one of the boxes and scoffed when she saw that it was just full of power tools. “Marco, this box it yours!”, she called out to her husband and he just gave her a thumbs up. 

 

Alec walked in a second later to add to the conversation, “ _ But she is always resting. All she does is lay around and do nothing. _ ”

 

“ _ I have explained this before, Trini is sick and needs to rest because the treatment makes her weaker. She needs all the love and support that she can get ok? _ ”, June ruffled their hair as the boys nodded. “ _ Good. Now, go help your father with the rest of those boxes. _ ”, and with that, the conversation is over and everyone goes back to their normal work. Trini just wipes the tears away from her eyes, thinking about that whole conversation. She would love to be strong enough that she could help them out and do things that people normally do, but she couldn’t. Instead of lying there, Trini pushed herself up, getting up from the bed and shakily walking to the door. Opening the door, she was about to turn to walk downstairs when her mother, who was at the top of the stairs, saw her and rushed over to her.

 

“Trini! Do you need anything?”, June stood in front of her daughter, worried look on her face. 

 

“No, I just wanted to help.”, Trini gave her mother a smile, but June just waved her away, causing the smile to drop from her face.

 

“You need to rest, Trini. Your next appointment is tomorrow and it’s for another MRI with treatment.”, June went to place a hand on Trini’s cheek when she flinched away, June’s hand dropping immediately. “I’m guessing that you heard the conversation with Mateo and Alec a few minutes ago?”

Trini nodded, “Yeah. I don’t want to be useless around here, I want to help.” 

 

“Trini, you are not useless, you need to rest. I promise you that we will find something for you to do. Maybe if you make some friends this time, you can go out with them.”, June encouraged her daughter, but Trini just lowered her head.

 

“It’s hard to make friends when everyone is calling you a freak.”, Trini mumbled before walking back into her room and shutting the door behind her. The girl sighed, walking over to her desk and plopping down. Just across town, Trini could see the outline of what looked like mountains and she smiled. She just found her new safe place.

 

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

 

The smell of the hospital was something that Trini learned to hate. When they walked past those sliding doors, it filled Trini’s nose and she almost gagged. Sitting down in the waiting room, Trini tried to keep the contents of her breakfast in her stomach, but every time she breathed, that nauseous feeling would just return. They didn’t have to wait for that long until a nurse came out and called Trini’s name. She led them back to a room and informed them that the doctor would be in shortly, honestly Trini wouldn’t have cared if he forgot about her. To pass the time, Trini put her headphones on, the screams instantly calming her and she focused on her breathing, like she was doing yoga. The door opened and the familiar face of her doctor stepped into the room. His face spread into a smile when he saw her parents and he went to both of them with a formal greeting before turning to Trini, who still had her headphones on. He took the liberty of sliding them off of her head and handing them to her parents before leading her out of the room, down to the MRI station. Trini laid down on the table, relaxing her muscles for the millionth time that morning, before the table moved back and Trini was in the pod. 

After an hour of sitting there, not moving and in silence, Trini was backed out of it and she stood up, bones cracking from being in one position for too long. She was walked back to her room and when she went back into her room, she saw the doctor having a conversation with her parents. 

 

“Ah, Trini, I was just talking with your parents.”, Dr. Sharps smiled at her and Trini felt a shiver go up her spine. “Take a seat on the bed and we will get started.”, and now it was time for Trini’s favorite part of the appointment, the actual treatment. Lying down on the bed, Trini could feel the panic start seeping through her as Dr. Sharps got the needle ready. “As I was saying, my neighbor’s son has joined that ridiculous LGBT movement. I tried telling him that it was all a trick and that this lifestyle was going to send him to hell, but he wouldn’t listen.”, Dr. Sharps flicked the needle and Trini squeezed her eyes shut, trying to ease her emotions. The needle pierced her skin and Trini bit her lip to keep from screaming in panic. She felt the liquid coursing through her veins, cold and slimy, and she took deep breaths. “Alright, Trini, you’re all good.”, Dr. Sharps said as he extracted the needle. 

“T-thanks.”, Trini got out, her voice sounding weak. 

 

“Anyways, I can’t wait until those gays get what’s coming to them. I heard about another gay couple being murdered in LA the other week. I applaud whoever is doing this, don’t you, Trini?”, Dr. Sharps looked to the tiny girl on the bed and she avoided his gaze, shifting awkwardly on the bed. 

 

“Can we just see the results of the MRI please?”, Trini spoke softly and the doctor just nodded.

 

“Yes, I suppose we should focus on that for right now.”, Dr. Sharps got out of the chair and went out to the door, grabbing the papers in the folder on the door. “Alright, everything looks good. None of the tumors are cancerous and the treatment seems to be working.”, Dr. Sharps gave her what she thought was supposed to a charming smile and Trini shivered. “I’ll see you next week, Trini. Rest up and have a good first day at school.”, he walked out of the room, leaving Trini alone with her parents. Getting dressed, Trini walked out of the room, with her mother’s help, and made her way to the exit. They all got into the car, Trini sighing as she sat down and they pulled away from the hospital. Trini had fought her parents about going to school after just having a treatment, but they insisted that school was the most important thing. After a few minutes of staring out of the window, the car pulled up to a tall building and Trini knew that they had arrived. 

Marco, her father, parked the car before getting out quickly to help Trini, knowing that she was weaker than normal right after a treatment. Grabbing her bag, Trini accepted the hand that he held out for her and the Gomez family proceeded into the school. When they entered, Trini felt all eyes shift to her and she pulled her beanie down farther. They walked to the front office, Marco still holding onto Trini’s hand while June trailed behind them, glaring at anyone who looked the wrong way at her daughter (so basically she was glaring at everyone in the hallway). The door about of the office chimed and Marco walked Trini over to the chairs, letting her sit down before he walked up to the receptionist. June sat down next to Trini, giving her a bright smile and placing her hand on top of her daughter’s.

 

“Everything will be fine, Trini. I promise.”, June squeezed her hand and Trini felt somewhat safe. Her father came back with Trini’s schedule, handing it over to her before taking a seat on the other side of Trini.

 

“The principal would like to meet with us for a few minutes and then Trini can go to her first class.”, Marco placed a hand on Trini’s neck, massaging it comfortingly. A few minutes later, the door at the other end of the room opened and a tall man in a business suit stepped out.

 

“Mr. and Mrs. Gomez, please come in.”, he stepped to the side and the family got up, Marco helping Trini once again. The principal seemed to be confused by how pale and worn out Trini looked, but let it go as the family walked into his office. Only two chairs were set up in front of the principal’s desk, for the parents, so when Marco let his daughter sit down in one of them, the principal was even more confused. “Welcome to Angel Grove high! I’m Principal Fide, nice to meet you all.”, Principal Fide held out his hand for everyone to shake. June first, then Marco, and when he held it out to Trini she brought a shaky hand up, gripping his hand with a weak grip before bringing her hand back down. 

 

Sensing the principal’s confusion, Marco stepped in, “Trini has NF1 and the treatment makes her very weak.”

 

“Ah, well, I will make sure that all of your teachers know this. You will be excused from gym class.”, Principal Fide smiled before taking a seat at his desk. “I just want to talk to you about Trini and assure you that we will take the best care of your daughter while she attends school here.”, he looked at her parents and they smiled back at him.

 

“We appreciate this, but both of us have to get to work.”, June informed him and Principal Fide nodded.

 

“Of course. Well, this has been one of the quickest meetings I have ever been in.”, the man chuckled before standing back up. “I can assign someone to help Trini around for the first week. Of course, I will need to get them down here soon, but I already have someone in mind.”, Trini had to admit that he had a warm smile and it was comforting, so when her parents looked at her ,as if to ask if it was ok, she nodded at them. 

 

June pressed a kiss to Trini’s forehead before whispering in spanish, “ _ Be good. I love you. _ ” Her father just ruffled her hair, gave her a smile, and walked out the door with her mother.

 

“Alright, Trini, let me just call them down here.”, Principal Fide smiled at her before walking over to the phone. “Mrs. Gray, please send Alicia to my office.”, he spoke into the phone, hanging up after he got a response. They sat there for a few minutes before the door opened and a blonde walked through. She was wearing a burgundy letterman jacket, a white shirt, jeans, and beat up white converse. Her short blonde hair was dyed lighter at the tips, obviously done ombre, and is was wavy as it cascaded down her shoulders. The girl seemed to have a scowl on her face as she stomped over to the principal’s desk.

 

“What do you want? I thought that we discussed that I don’t like being called up here during school hours.”, the blonde seethed and Trini’s eyes widened. Principal Fide just sat there with an even look on his face before he pointed behind her, the blonde slowly turning to see Trini sitting there. “Oh.”, the blonde took a seat next to Trini and Principal Fide chuckled at the look on Trini’s face.

 

“She’s my daughter, so I’m used to it, Ms. Gomez.”, he looked over at the tiny brunette who avoided his gaze, feeling more uncomfortable with the blonde there. “Alicia, this is Trini. You will be leading her around the school for the rest of the week and making sure that she settles in. You both also have the exact same schedule, so no problems there.”

 

Alicia gave her a charming smile, running a hand through her blonde locks, “Alicia Fide, at your service.” She held out a hand and Trini shakily shook it before putting her gaze on the ground.

 

“I expect you to be nice and treat her with respect, Alicia. Do I make myself clear?”, Principal Fide gave her a raised eyebrow and Alicia just huffed, waving a hand at him.

 

“Please, Dad, I am the nicest, most respectful person on this planet.”, Alicia stood up, beckoning Trini to come with her. That was when panic filled Trini once again as she was too weak to stand up without help. Principal Fide noticed this and rushed over to her, holding out a hand that she gladly accepted. When Trini was finally on her feet, Alicia seemed to catch on to the fact that she needed a little help and held out her arm for Trini to grab. Wrapping her hand lighting around the blonde’s bicep, they walked out of the office and began their trek down the hallway. “Alright, so, our first class is Biology with Mrs. Gray. She’s a hard ass, just warning you. If she gives you any trouble, just tell me and I’ll talk to my dad about it.”, Alicia smiled when Trini gave her a small giggle. 

 

“Thanks.”, Trini said so quietly that if Alicia wasn’t next to her, she would have missed it.

 

“Anything for you, sunshine.”, the blonde stopped in front of a classroom, waving into it, before they kept walking. Trini gave her a questioning look and Alicia answered, “My girlfriend, Harper, was in there. I’m expecting her to have a lot of questions about me having another girl on my arm. She can get jealous.” This made Trini drop her hand from Alicia’s bicep and take a step back, not wanting to get involved in the drama. Alicia noticed and immediately rushed to fix her mistake, “Don’t worry about her though, she wouldn’t hurt a fly. Besides, she knows that my heart only belongs her to her.” Trini nervously wrapped her hand back around Alicia’s arm and they kept walking to the classroom. They eventually made it to a classroom, walking in, and Trini felt uncomfortable. 

 

“Ms. Fide, who have you brought with you?”, the teacher gave the blonde a questioning look.

 

“This is Trini. She’s new and I’m helping her around.”, Alicia puffed out her chest in pride, causing the class to laugh a little at her, the blonde not really caring. As Alicia spoke to the teacher, Trini noticed a group of cheerleaders in the front of the room, a few of them looking at her with a glare. One in particular caught Trini’s eye. A tall brunette with short brown hair gazed at Trini with something in her eyes that Trini couldn’t recognize. The two stared at each other until the brunette was pulled out of it by the blonde next to her. Trini averted her gaze to the ground when Alicia poked her on the forehead, “Hey, come sit in the back with me.” They walked to the back, Trini carefully stepping over all of the backpacks in the aisle. She stumbled a bit when a foot suddenly appeared in front of her, Alicia quickly catching her. 

 

“Watch where you’re going, lezbo.”, the blonde cheerleader snickered and the rest of them laughed along with her. Alicia glared at them with a fierceness that Trini had never seen before.

 

“Watch your mouth, blondie, or I might just shove it up your ass.”, Alicia lifted Trini up a little more and the two continued their walk to the back. Finally making it, the two sat down in their chairs, Trini shaking a little bit from the nerves. Alicia went to place a comforting hand on Trini’s when the girl flinched away from her, “Don’t worry about Amanda. If she gives you anymore trouble, just tell me.” Trini nodded at her, acknowledging that she heard her, before taking the things that she needed out of her bag. She couldn’t tell if this was going to be a good or bad experience, but based on the fact that the tall brunette kept looking back at her, she couldn’t wait to find out.

 

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

 

Trini determined by lunchtime that she could definitely wait to find out. The girl had almost been knocked down three times by people rushing in the hallways and if Alicia wasn’t there, then Trini certainly would have fallen. Unfortunately, the brunette wasn’t in any of Trini’s other classes, but she was still glad that she had someone by her side. As they walked into the lunchroom, Trini saw a medium height brunette jump up from her seat and run towards Alicia. She was wearing shorts, a blue shirt and black tennis shoes. Her big frame glasses made her look adorable and she jumped into Alicia’s arms. The blonde chuckled a little bit, putting her arms under the brunette’s thighs to support her, Trini letting got of her arm to let the two have their moment. Bad choice. Amanda walked up behind Trini, purposefully bumping into her, and without anyone to catch her, Trini fell to the floor. Pain went through Trini as she landed on her hands and knees, hissing as the floor banged into them. 

 

“I’m  _ so  _ sorry.”, Amanda apologized sarcastically and she reached out a hand to help Trini up, but when the girl reached for it, Amanda pulled it away. “Wouldn’t want to chip a nail.”, the blonde walked away, the rest of the cheer squad following her except for the tall brunette. She looked down at the tiny girl on the floor, wanting to help her up, but before she could someone called out for her, “Kimberly, get over here!” The girl, Kimberly, looked at her with a sorry look before going on her way. Alicia rushed over to Trini, not touching her until Trini nodded at her. 

 

As Trini stood up, she could feel the rage radiating off of the girl in front of her, “I am going to end her.”

 

“Don’t.”, Trini pleaded and Alicia’s face softened. She nodded, understandingly, and turned to Harper. 

 

“Babe, this is Trini. She’s new and I’m showing her around.”, Alicia gave her girlfriend a smile and Harper smiled back.

 

“Nice to meet you, I’m Harper.”, Harper nodded at her, seemingly knowing that Trini wasn’t much for touch. “Come sit with us.”, Harper gestured over to the table that she was just sitting at. The only other person sitting there was a boy, whose nose was stuck in a book. Trini smiled lightly at the brunette and Alicia helped her over to the table, glaring at Amanda from across the room.

 

“I’m fine.”, Trini tried to reassure the blonde, but Alicia only shook her head.

 

“That doesn’t make it ok, Trin.”, Alicia looked down at her and Trini avoided her gaze. When they sat down, Alicia leaned into Trini’s ear, “Do you want me to grab your lunch for you?”

 

“Sure.”, Trini nodded and the blonde went to the lunch line.

 

“Oh, this is Billy.”, Harper pointed to the boy sitting next to Trini. 

 

“Hi, I’m Billy Cranston. Kids used to call me Billy’s Cramstons like Billy crams tons of crayons in his butt, which I didn’t-”, Billy’s rambling was cut off by Alicia.

 

“We get it Billy. It was a third grade joke and nobody calls you that anymore.”, Alicia set down a tray in front of Trini, piled high with food. Trini looked at her questioningly and the blonde shrugged, “I didn’t know what you liked to eat.” Trini smiled a little, before picking up the fork. The treatment affected her hunger, so Trini didn’t eat as much as the normal person, even when her mother would force feed her. As she ate, she listened in on the conversation at the table, laughing at Harper teasing Alicia and smiling when they were being a cute little couple. She felt eyes on her throughout the whole lunch period and she turned around to see Kimberly staring at her. The brunette nodded at her and Trini ducked her head, turning back around with a blush on her cheeks.

 

Billy noticed this and leaned a little closer to her, “That’s Kimberly Hart. She’s pretty cool, unlike the rest of the cheerleaders. She talks to me sometimes and even got Cole Wallace to stop bullying me.” Turning back around, Trini saw a tall boy with his hair greased back walk up to Kimberly and kiss her. Trini immediately averted her eyes, looking back at the rest of the people at her table only to see that they are all staring at her.

 

“What?”, Trini looked at all of them and they all seemed to look at each other, trying to see who would talk first. It was Billy, of course.

 

“You are staring at Kimberly a lot.”, Billy pointed out, not looking up from his book. When he noticed that Trini was seemingly upset, he quickly pointed out another thing, “But she is staring at you a lot.” 

 

“Nice save, Billy.”, Alicia praised him and the boy just ignored her, took invested in his book. Alicia turned to Trini, “The guy that you saw kiss Kimberly was Ty Flemming. He’s an asshat. I have no idea why Kimberly is dating him, but she must see something that I don’t.”

 

“You also only have your eyes on one person, so….”, Harper smirked, grabbing one of Alicia’s fries off of her tray. 

 

“Yes, I do, but I’m pansexual, so I have the ability to see something in him. I don’t though, so that’s a loss.”, Alicia huffed and just pulled Harper into her lap. 

 

“You guys are cute.”, Trini admitted and the two girls just looked at each other.

 

“We know.”, they responded at the same time before Harper leaned down to give Alicia a peck on the lips. The bell rang and Trini looked down at her tray to only see that she ate a few bites. 

 

“It’s ok. I put it on my account and I know that I don’t always eat everything.”, Alicia grabbed the tray to go throw it out. When she came back, she held her arm out for the tiny girl and gave Harper a chaste kiss before walking with Trini down the hallway. 

The rest of the day went pretty well until Alicia dropped Trini off at her locker. She gave her a pat on the shoulder before going to find Harper in the sea of people, leaving Trini alone. As people passed by, Trini just put books in her locker until she was pushed forward, head banging on the door. Trini fell to the ground, clutching her head and when she looked up, Amanda was standing there with the cheerleaders behind her. 

 

“Where’s your guard dog now?”, Amanda asked as she glowered down at the girl on the floor. Trini just brought her hands away from her head, making sure that there was no blood and luckily there wasn’t. Sighing, Trini struggled to stand back up, her limbs too weak to do it on their own, so Trini grabbed the locker. “Jesus, what’s wrong with you?”, Amanda seemed disgusted by Trini’s struggle. When the girl was standing again, Amanda took a step forward making Trini take a step back, “You look like a fucking ghost, you know. I asked you a question before, what’s wrong with you?”

 

Trini gulped, “I-I don’t have to tell you anything.”

 

“For now. I’m going to make your life a living hell, freak.”, Amanda got right up in her face before shoving her slightly, walking off with the rest of the cheerleaders behind her, all except Kimberly. The girl took a step towards Trini, but when the smaller girl stepped back, Kimberly sighed.

 

“I’m sorry.”, was the only thing that she said before she followed her friends down the hallway, leaving Trini a confused gay mess.

 

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

 

As Amanda had vowed, she did indeed make Trini’s life a living hell at school. Whenever Alicia wasn’t by her side, Amanda would push Trini or trip her, knowing that it would take a little while for the girl to get back to her feet. It seemed like she enjoyed watching Trini struggle and grinned when Trini would wince in pain. Kimberly hadn’t uttered a word to Trini since that first day, even though it had been months since then, and she kept her distance like from Trini like Amanda had ordered. Alicia had remained with Trini, slowly earning the girl’s trust, and she protected Trini from anyone and everyone. Nothing had gotten too out of control with the bullying, it was nothing that Trini couldn’t handle, but today was different. The entire day, Trini could feel Amanda watching her as she walked through the halls, laughing with Alicia about something from her softball practice. At the end of the day, like normal, Alicia dropped Trini off at her locker to go find Harper. Trini put her books in her locker, doing her normal routine when she was grabbed by several pairs of hands and forced into the girl’s locker room. She was set down on one of the benches and she looked up to see familiar grey eyes staring down at her. 

 

“Hello, freakazoid!”, Amanda greeted with a fake smile. Trini felt a shiver go down her spine as she looked at the ground. “I noticed today, that you kind of smell. How about we give you a shower, hmm?”, Amanda snapped her fingers and about 3 people picked Trini up, she tried fighting them, but it was no use as they violently threw her into one of the showers.

 

“Please.”, Trini whimpered as they came back over, gripping her arms to sit her upright. Amanda just started the shower and cold water sent shock waves through Trini’s body and she hissed. 

 

“Let’s go.”, Amanda sneered and Trini was dropped onto the floor. The cheerleaders left, but as usual, Kimberly stayed. The girl ran to a locker, pulling out a towel, before rushing back over to Trini. When she went to wrap it around the girl, Trini jumped away from her.

 

“D-don’t touch m-me.”, Trini growled, baring her teeth at Kimberly even though she knew that the girl was just trying to help. Kimberly just sighed, putting the towel on the bench before turning back to Trini.

 

“I’m sorry.”, before Kimberly could walk away, she heard Trini respond.

 

“You always are.”, Trini mumbled before sitting back against the wall, bringing her knees up to her chest, rocking back and forth as the water kept running down her back. It seemed like forever until Trini heard the locker door open and loud voices walked in. The tiny girl pushed herself more into the wall as the voices got closer.

 

“Is someone in the shower?”, Trini heard one of them say.

 

Another one responded, “I don’t know, let’s check.” Footsteps got closer and Trini whimpered, closing her eyes tightly as she heard a gasp. “Get Alicia.”, the voice sounded panicked and Trini heard footsteps running away. Two pairs came running back and the voice that Trini heard next instantly calmed her.

 

“Shit, Trini.”, Alicia made her way over to the girl, trying not to startle her. Trini opened her eyes to see calming green eyes looking at her and Trini just fell into her embrace. “Fuck, T, who did this?”, Alicia asked, but Trini couldn’t respond, she was too embarrassed and cold. “Hand me that towel.”, Alicia gestured to the towel that Kimberly had placed on the bench. Someone handed it over to Alicia and she wrapped Trini in it. “Turn the shower off.”, Alicia was getting angrier by the minute and Trini could feel it. Having enough, Trini pushed Alicia off of her with all of the strength that she could muster up and she jumped to her feet, running out of the bathroom and the school. She ran and ran until she couldn’t feel her legs anymore. Trini ended up on the mountain, panting and freezing cold. The girl was shaking in her shoes, but she didn’t care. All that she wanted to do was calm herself by doing some yoga on a tall place. Just ahead of her, she spotted a cliff and rushed over to it. Quickly she focused on her breathing, starting with her warm-ups before doing her regular poses. After about twenty minutes, she heard footsteps getting closer to her and she whipped around to see a boy standing there with a smirk on his face. He was wearing a leather jacket, a white shirt that showed off his muscles, cargo pants, and boots. A gust of wind blew his scent into Trini’s nose and it was something familiar. It smelled like the flush that they injected into her after her treatments to make sure that all of the meds went in and she had to cover up her gag with her hand. 

 

“Hey, crazy girl.”, the boy gave her a smirk that she thought was supposed to be charming. “What are you doing up here?”, he asked her taking a step closer.

 

“Please, don’t step any closer.”, Trini spoke through her hand, but the boy was persistent and took another step forward.

 

Trini turned green and the boy rushed forward, “Are you ok?” The only answer that he received was Trini throwing up all over his shoes. She expected him to be pissed at her, but he just held her hair for her while she got it all out. When she finished, she sheepishly looked up at him, waiting for the explosion of anger, but he smiled down at her, “It’s all cool. My mom’s sick, so I’m used to it. Do you want to come back to my place and I can get you some water?”

 

“Sure.”, Trini nodded, suddenly feeling really cold. The boy noticed this and picked her up bridal style. Being too weak to protest, Trini just leaned her head on his chest, but the scent filled her nose again. She tapped a hand on his chest and he set her down, holding her hair once again as she threw up. As she stopped, the boy realized something and chuckled a bit. “What’s so funny?”, Trini glared at him, causing him to stop chuckling.

 

“It’s the perfume isn’t it?”, the boy gestured to his chest and Trini could only nod. “I’ll be right back.”, he ran off in the direction of what Trini assumed was his home before he returned a few moments later. “Alright, I sprayed my cologne on me.”, when Trini frowned he just waved his hand, “I’ll explain later, right now we need to get you some water.” He picked her back up again, carrying her in the same direction he just ran in. When they made it to a trailer, he placed her down and opened the door.

 

“You aren’t going to kill me right?”, Trini watched as he threw his head back laughing.

 

“If I was going to, don’t you think that I would have when you threw up on my shoes?”, he raised an eyebrow at her and Trini walked into the house. Trini sat down on the couch and waited for the boy to come back with a glass of water, “I’m Zack, by the way.” Zack came back into the room, glass of water in hand and he smiled at her.

 

“Trini.”, she accepted the glass of water from Zack and he sat down in front of her. 

 

“I noticed that your clothes were wet when I picked you up.”, Zack mentioned, looking the tiny girl up and down. “In this weather I’m surprised that you haven’t gotten hypothermia yet.”

 

Trini set the water down on the table, wrapping her arms around herself, “I probably have the beginning stages of it.” Her teeth were chattering and her whole body was shaking. Zack quickly walked over to her and picked her up, carrying her into what she assumed was his room. Picking out some sweatpants and a shirt, Zack threw them on the bed and placed Trini next to them.

 

“Change into those and I’ll make you some tea. You’re probably going to have to roll the waistband of the pants. Be right back.”, Zack leaped out of the room, leaving Trini to change into the nice dry clothes. When he came back, Trini was curled up in the center of his bed, still shivering. He placed the tea on his bedside table before grabbing a blanket for the tiny girl. Wrapping her in it, he brought her into his lap, “Do your parents know where you are, crazy girl?”

 

“No.”, Trini answered, trying to keep her body from shaking. 

 

“Tell me where you live and I will take you home.”, Zack told her and she gave him the address. He scooped her up once again, running out of the house and into town. It seemed like forever until Zack was walking up the Gomez house sidewalk and knocking on the door. June answered the door and was frightened to see her little girl in some random boy’s arms. “Hi, ma’am, I was just walking around the woods and I found your daughter passed out and shivering on the ground.”, Zack explained and the woman just beckoned him forward. When he walked into the room, he saw a familiar blonde sitting in the living room, “Alicia?” She whipped her head around to see one of her friends with Trini in his arms.

 

“Zack.”, Alicia ran towards him, Trini still shivering. “Where did you find her?”

 

“In the woods.”, Zack walked over to the couch, setting the tiny girl down before he turned to face Alicia and Trini’s mother. “She was just lying there, shivering, so I brought her back to my house. Let her change into some dry clothes of mine and then brought her here.”

 

Right when June was about to ask a question, Trini groaned, “Mom?” June rushed to her daughter’s side, putting her hands on either side of her face. 

 

“I’m here.”, June kissed the top of her daughter’s head. “Alicia told me who did this.”, June said after a moment of silence. Trini’s only response was to close her eyes and fall into a deep sleep. 

 

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

 

Since then, Trini’s parents had been on her case every day. When she came home, they would ask her how her day went and if anyone was bothering her. She would lie and say that since that day, none of the cheerleaders had bothered her, but that wasn’t true. Amanda had continued her assault on Trini and the girl would never tell a soul, not even Zack, who had become one of her closest friends. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to tell them, it was that she just couldn’t bring herself to. June had put Alicia as her guard, who had to keep her daughter safe at all times. While it was annoying to have the girl always with her, it was useful at time and whenever she had something for softball, she would give Zack a call. He was a lot more fun when it came to protecting Trini. Zack would let her play football with him and would take her ice skating, both things that her mother refused to let her do. Today, Alicia was watching her and Trini was trying to convince her that going ice skating was fun, but Alicia was adamant that they couldn’t go because of Trini’s mother.

 

“Look, what she doesn’t know won’t hurt her, besides I need to explore.”, Trini told the blonde, crossing her arms over her chest. 

 

“Trini, your mother threatened my life if anything happened to you.”, Alicia retorted, but the girl wasn’t giving up that easily.

 

Trini huffed, “Please, Alicia! Just this one time.” She pulled out her best puppy eyes and Alicia finally snapped.

 

“Alright, fine. One time.”, Alicia was then dragged out of the school and shoved into Alicia’s car. They drove all the way over to the ice skating rink, Trini jumping out of the car when Alicia put it in park. “I feel like I’m with a fucking child.”, the girl muttered under her breath as she chased after Trini, who was already walking through the doors. Renting the skates, the two put them on and Trini glided out onto the ice, leaving Alicia behind. She went around the rink a couple of times before turning to see the blonde gripping the railings. Laughing, she skated over to her and offered her arm.

 

“Need some help?”, Trini smirked when Alicia just laughed at her.

 

“Thank you.”, Alicia grabbed her arm and the two went skating around the rink. The two laughed as they went around and around, until Trini was slammed into the side causing Alicia to fall as well. When they looked up, Alicia growled at the sight of Amanda Clark and her gang, looking down at the two with smiles.

 

“Look at what we have here, the school dyke and the freak.”, Amanda glared at the two, not impressed with either of them. Alicia jumped to her feet, getting right in Amanda’s face before pushing her back.

 

“Leave Trini alone.”, Alicia snarled in at her, but Amanda merely brushed it off. Shoving the blonde back, Alicia hit the wall, biting her lip when her bad leg hit the railing.

 

“Better watch your mouth, bitch. I might have to injure that bad leg again just to teach you a lesson, so I would back off.”, Amanda smiled when Alicia placed a hand on her thigh, trying to ease the pain. Trini remained on the ground this whole time, not engaging with anyone and avoiding Kimberly’s concerned look. The cheerleaders skated away, Kimberly reluctantly following them and Trini got up, looking at Alicia.

 

“Are you ok?”, Trini got closer to the girl to see a that she was wincing.

 

Alicia waved her hand at Trini, “Yeah, she just got my bad leg. I injured it last year in a game. I went one way and my leg went the other.” Trini winced just thinking about it and grabbed Alicia’s arm, wrapping it around her shoulder. “Let’s go.”, Trini told her and they walked off of the ice. They sat down, taking off the skates when Trini realized that she had to go to the bathroom. “Be right back.”, Alicia nodded at her and Trini made her way to the bathroom. Walking in, it almost felt too quiet, like there was an eerie silence in the room. A tap on her shoulder made Trini freeze and she turned around to see Amanda standing there, a few of her cheerleaders behind her. 

 

“I would say that it’s good to see you, but I would be lying. Grab her.”, Amanda ordered them and they grabbed Trini’s arms, leading her into a stall and Trini knew what they were going to do. “This will teach you, freak!”, Amanda yelled at her, hand on Trini’s head and pushing it towards the toilet.

“Stop!”, the most angelic voice that Trini had ever heard screamed out. The hand on her head released and Trini felt the hands on her loosen. She quickly got free of their grip and turned around to see Kimberly standing there, not in her cheer uniform, but rather in more casual clothing. “What the hell do you think that you’re doing?”, Kimberly snapped at Amanda who just laughed at her.

 

“What we always do, Kimmy. Make sure that the freaks know their place.”, Amanda replied with a smirk. What she didn’t expect was for Kimberly to actually snap back at her.

 

“Leave her alone.”, Kimberly took a step forward. Everyone just looked at her in shock, not knowing what to do. “This is far beyond bullying, Amanda, this is assault. It needs to stop.”

 

Amanda snickered, taking a threatening step forward, “Oh, and what are you going to do about it?” Kimberly brought a hand back, slapping the girl across the face.

 

“Get out of here before I get Alicia or, god forbid, Trini’s mother.”, Kimberly threatened and they all ran out of the bathroom, scared to death of what Kimberly would do. When they were all go, Kimberly quietly made her way over to the girl still sitting on the floor. “I’m sorry.”, Kimberly told her after a few moments of silence, she held out her hand for Trini to take. She accepted the hand, standing up to face her savior.

 

“It’s ok.”, Trini looked at the ground.

 

“No, it’s not. I should have stopped them a long time ago. It took talking to Jason in order for me to get the courage to stand up to them.”, Kimberly admitted, picking at her pink nail polish.

 

“You’re here now.”, Trini gave her a small smile, still not moving.

 

“Let’s go find Alicia.”, Kimberly grabbed Trini’s hand, leading her out of the bathroom. Trini didn’t even know how to react when the girl grabbed her hand, she just stared down at their intertwined fingers as they walked through people until they finally made it to where Alicia was sitting. “Hey, Alicia.”, Kimberly waved at the girl.

 

“Kimmy! Well, I see you dropped the who cheerleading thing, I hope.”, Alicia mumbled the last part under her breath, but Kimberly heard it anyways.

 

“Nope, I’m still on the squad, but I just stood up to them. They were trying to dunk Trini’s head in the toilet.”, Kimberly informed her and watched as the blonde’s eyes went wide. 

 

“Fuck, Trini, are you ok?”, Alicia rushed over to her, tilting the girl’s chin up to look at her. Trini nodded, looking out of the corner of her eye to see that Kimberly was still holding her hand. The brunette gave her hand a comforting squeeze before she dropped her hand. “Thanks, Kim.”, Alicia couldn’t even express how thankful she was that Kimberly was there.

 

Kimberly just smiled and nodded her head, “No problem. I’ll see you guys later.” As she walked away, Alicia let out a sigh of relief before turning to Trini.

 

“I told you that this wasn’t a good idea, sunshine.”, Alicia reminded her, but Trini just rolled her eyes.

 

“It was still fun, wasn’t it?”, Trini turned around, walking in the direction of the doors. 

 

The next day at school, Trini was surprised to see that Kimberly was waiting for her by her locker. She was wearing her normal cheer uniform, but something seemed different about her. There was some sort of aura that Kimberly was giving off and when Trini stepped into her line of sight, she straightened her back and gave the girl a bright smile.

 

“Hey, Trini. Um, Alicia couldn’t be here today, so she called me.”, Kimberly gave her a convincing smile, knowing that Trini wasn’t buying it.

 

“Yeah, she would have told me that she wasn’t coming. Did….did you ask to help me?”, Trini was so confused right now. Why would Kimberly ask to help her? She was a cheerleader and Trini was, well, just Trini.

 

Kimberly felt a blush creep up on her cheeks and she ducked her head down, “Maybe. I figured if everyone saw you with a cheerleader, then they wouldn’t bother you.”

 

Trini studied the taller girl’s face for a second, detecting a bit of guilt in her eyes. “You feel guilty.”, Trini concluded and Kimberly just sighed.

 

“I do. I should have stopped them earlier, but I didn’t and I feel really bad.”, Kimberly looked at the  ground, avoiding Trini’s stare. 

 

“It’s fine, Kimberly. I just won’t be able to trust you for a while, maybe I never will, but we can work on it.”, Trini shut her locker, facing the girl fully.

 

“I would like that.”, Kimberly whispered into her ear, and they made their way to Biology. Walking in, Trini saw that Alicia wasn’t sitting in their normal spot, rather, she was sitting all the way on the other side of the room, giving Trini a thumbs up when she saw her. That was when Trini knew that Alicia was totally trying to set them up. Kimberly sat down next to Trini and the class began. As Trini jotted down notes into her notebook, she felt a gaze on her and she turned her head to see Kimberly staring at her. The girl in question quickly turned her head away, focusing back on the teacher. Trini just went back to writing her notes, but then she felt a pair of eyes on her again, she knew that it was Kimberly. Smiling to herself, Trini kept writing, knowing that Kimberly would just stare at her the entire class. At the end of the class, Trini packed up her things, sending Kimberly a knowing glance before walking out of the room. 

Kimberly stood there, shocked, until Alicia slapped her on the back and began pushing her out of the room. The taller girl ran after Trini down the hallway, needing to catch her before she made it to her next class, but it was too late. Trini was already in the room and Kimberly had to go to English. It seemed like the class dragged on until the lunch bell rang and Kimberly was bolting out of the room, searching for Trini in the hallways. Unable to find her, Kimberly went to the lunchroom only to see Trini already sitting with Alicia and Harper, Billy Cranston was also with them. She made her way over to the table, ignoring her “friends”, waving at her to come over to their table. Sitting down next to Trini, Kimberly smiled at her and saw the tiny girl blush.

 

“How was your last class?”, Kimberly asked, taking a bite of her burger.

 

“Fine.”, Trini responded, her voice a little shaky from the fact that she was talking to a goddess. “H-how was your class?”, Trini tilted her head to look at Kimberly, but shied away when the girl smiled at her.

 

“Fine, but I was worried about you.”, Kimberly admitted, causing Trini to pause. “What’s your favorite animal?”

 

“Sabertooth tiger.”, Trini turned to see Kimberly’s reaction, but she was still smiling at the girl.

 

“Cool, mine is a pterodactyl.”, Kimberly took another bite of her burger. Suddenly, an apple went flying past and hit Trini in the head. A few other items of food flew, all of them hitting Trini causing the smaller girl to just duck her head down. Kimberly turned around to see Amanda and the rest of the cheerleading team laughing. She had finally had enough, taking the burger in her hand, Kimberly chucked it at Amanda, watching as it hit her right in the head. When the girl turned to see who it was, all she got was a smirk from Kimberly. Turning back, she saw Trini staring at her in awe with something else in her eyes that Kimberly thought was lust. “She had it coming.”, Kimberly shrugged and went back to eating the rest of the food on her tray. That was the turning point for the two girls and it only got better from there. 

 

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

 

The next couple of months were the best that Trini had ever experienced. Her treatments were as bad now because she didn’t panic, only because she was thinking of Kimberly when they injected her. Even when Trini had a bad day, Kimberly was there to make it better. None of the cheerleaders had bothered her since the incident at the ice skating rink, which was something that Trini was happy about. The girl had been there for Trini during everything, even when Zack’s mother took a turn for the worst and Trini had no idea how to comfort him. Eventually, his mother got better, but without Kimberly’s advice, Trini was sure that she would have said the wrong thing. Kimberly was everything that Trini could ever need and want. Currently, they were sitting on Trini’s bed, doing their biology project while talking to each other.

 

“Are you serious?”, Trini laughed at what Kimberly had just told her.

 

The taller girl just huffed, “He called me a slut, so I punched his tooth out.” They were talking about Kimberly’s old boyfriend, Ty, who she had caught cheating on her with Amanda. “Alright, what’s something violent that you have done?”, Kimberly leaned forward, popping a piece of popcorn into her mouth.

 

“Once this kid called me a dwarf and I kicked him in the nuts.”, Trini watched as Kimberly almost choked on the popcorn. After recovering, Kimberly started laughing so hard that she wasn’t breathing, so Trini slapped her back, “Breathe, Kimmy.” 

 

“That….is….hilarious!”, Kimberly got out with gasps of air in between, clutching her stomach. “I can just see angry little Trini, bringing her stubby little leg up to kick that kid square in the nuts.”, Kimberly burst into laughter again and Trini giggled along with her.

 

“My legs are not stubby.”, Trini threw a piece of popcorn at Kimberly, who gasped in feigned hurt.

 

“How dare you, Trini Gomez!”, Kimberly threw some pieces back out her, Trini smiling wickedly at her before they went into a full on food fight. Trini hid behind her bed while Kimberly used Trini’s desk chair as a shield. All was going well until Trini charged at Kimberly, the taller girl side stepping her, causing Trini to ram into the wall. “Trini!”, Kimberly exclaimed, dropping her handful of popcorn on the ground and rushing to the girl who was on the ground.

 

“I’m ok, Kim.”, Trini gave her a reassuring smile before pushing herself up off of the ground. “I’m not as weak when it has been a while since my treatments.”, Trini brushed the crumbs off of her jeans and looked up to see Kimberly giving her a questioning look. “I never told you? I thought that I did?”, Trini walked over to the bed, sitting down and fiddling with her fingers. 

 

“What is it?”, Kimberly made her way over to the girl, putting her hands on her knees. When Trini looked up at her, she saw fear in her eyes and Kimberly brought one of her hands to cup Trini’s cheek, “Hey, whatever it is, I won’t judge you for it.”

 

“Thanks, I just figured that Alicia would have told you.”, Trini smiled sadly at the thought of her friend, who she hadn’t seen since the softball tournament started. 

 

“Alicia just told me that you needed help walking around sometimes, but not to worry because you were fine. I think that was all that she knew.”, Kimberly swiped her thumb back and forth on Trini’s cheek.

 

“No, she knows. So does Zack. You’re the only one.”, Trini mumbled and she half expected Kimberly to be angry with her, but the girl just hummed.

 

“That’s ok. You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to, T, ok? I don’t want you to feel like you have to tell me.”, Kimberly just kept her hand on the girl’s cheek, doing her best to keep her nerves at bay. 

 

Trini took a deep breath and sighed, “Thanks, Kim. I just don’t think that I’m ready yet.”

 

“Actually, I wanted to ask you something as well.”, Kimberly got up and sat down next to Trini, her hand still on Trini’s cheek. “I just have to collect myself first before I ask.”, Kimberly seemed nervous and Trini didn’t know why. 

 

“Ask away.”, Trini gave her a warm smile that instantly made Kimberly feel better.

 

“I was wondering if you wanted to go on a date with me?”, Kimberly waited for a few seconds. Trini’s eyes widened and she jumped off of the bed. 

 

“Are….are you joking? Is this some kind of prank?”, Trini seemed to be paranoid about something, she was frantically searching around the room.

 

Kimberly got up and put her hands on the girl’s arms, “No, I would never joke about this, T. I’ve actually been wanting to ask you out for a while, but I just couldn’t get my nerves under control whenever I went to ask.”

 

“What?”, Trini was shocked. She thought that her feelings were just one sided and she definitely didn’t know that Kimberly was into girls. 

 

“God, Trini, just being around you causes me to get this nervous fluttery feeling in my stomach. I can barely focus on my biology homework because you are so distractingly beautiful.”, Kimberly took a step closer to Trini and the girl just looked up at her with those adorable eyes that were sometimes green and sometimes brown. It was one of the things that Kimberly loved….liked, liked about Trini.

 

“I am nothing special. You could have anyone better looking than me.”, Trini averted her eyes from the beautiful brunette in front of her to the ground. Kimberly put a hand on her cheek, causing the shorter girl to look up at her.

 

Kimberly gave her the biggest smile in the world, “You are special Trini and I haven’t laid eyes on anyone better looking than you. Even if I did, there would be one problem with them.”

 

“What?”, Trini tilted her head to the side, one of her cutest quirks. 

 

“They aren’t you.”, Kimberly finished and Trini ducked her head down to hide her blush. “So what do you say? Will Trini Gomez go on a date with Kimberly Hart?”, Kimberly bit her lip in anticipation of Trini’s answer.

 

“Yes, she will.”, Trini answered and Kimberly scooped her up in a hug, swinging her around the room. When she set the girl back down, their faces were very close together and Kimberly just jumped back. 

 

“Ok, so how about tomorrow and I’ll pick you up at 7?”, Kimberly suggested and Trini gave her a smile.

 

“It’s a date.”, Trini was so excited. About 20 minutes later Kimberly had to leave, but before she did she kissed Trini on the cheek, leaving the girl a gay mess. Trini shook her head and proceeded to work on her biology project. A knock on her door broke her out of her working transe to see her mother standing there, a firm look on her face.

 

“Trinity, who did you have over?”, June stepped into the room, an unfamiliar perfume filling her nose and she looked questioningly at her daughter.

 

“It was just Kimberly.”, Trini rolled her eyes, knowing that her mother didn’t like Kimberly all that much.

 

“That cheerleader who probably helped that girl bully you? I thought that I told you to stop hanging out with her?”, June was getting angrier by the second. She didn’t like to think about what that girl could be planning to do to her little girl. Trini already had it tough, she didn’t need anything else to complicate her life.

 

“Mom, she isn’t going to do anything to me and for the millionth time, she did not help Amanda bully me. She saved me from her. I’m not going to stop hanging out with Kim because you don’t like her.”, Trini scoffed at her mother’s ridiculousness. 

 

“She could be planning something with those cheerleader friends of hers!”, June tried again, but Trini just looked up at her with a sad expression.

 

“Is it so hard for you to believe that someone like Kim wants to be friends with me?”, Trini could feel herself getting upset.

 

June’s eyes widened and she quickly went to fix it, “No, Trini-”

 

“Just go, Mom. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”, Trini hugged her knees to her chest, holding the tears back. 

 

“I just came in to tell you that your next treatment is in two days. I love you.”, June left the room, leaving Trini alone with her thoughts.

 

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

 

Trini anxiously straightened out her bomber jacket, looking herself up and down in the mirror once again to make sure. Zack was behind her, lying on the bed on his phone and when he looked up to see Trini, he smiled.

 

“Kimberly is gonna lose her shit when she sees you, crazy girl.”, Zack whistled and Trini blushed at his comment. She was wearing a low v-neck shirt, her normal jeans, and new converse that her mother had just bought her. For once, her beanie wasn’t on her head and the side braids one the right side of Trini’s head were visible. 

 

“Thanks for helping me, Zack.”, Trini thanked him and Zack just pretended like he was tipping his hat. The doorbell rang and Trini leaped out of the room, leaving Zack to escape out of her window. When she opened the door, she saw Kimberly in jeans, a pink halter top, and a leather jacket accompanied by boots. 

 

“Trini, you look amazing.”, Kimberly looked over the shorter girl before she heard Trini chuckle.

 

“You don’t look so bad yourself, Hart.”, Trin closed the door behind her and gestured to Kimberly’s car. “Where are you taking me?”

 

“Jason’s mom owns a diner, so we can go there.”, Kimberly led her over to the car, opening the door for her before going over to the driver’s side. 

 

“Sounds good.”, Trini smiled at her before Kimberly started the car and they were off. They pulled up to the diner a little later and Kimberly opened the door for her. Walking in, the scent of bacon immediately filled Trini’s nose and she knew that she was going to like this place. 

 

Kimberly snickered a little and when she turned to look at her, she saw the girl looking at Jason Scott on the other side of the counter. She leaned into Trini’s ear with a grin, “Let’s go to Jason’s section so that way he had to serve us.” Trini chuckled a little before following Kim over to the left part of the restaurant. Jason noticed them and walked over, a smile on his face before he saw Kimberly sitting there.

 

“Really, Kim?”, Jason threw his hands in the air causing the brunette to laugh.

 

“I’ll have water, thanks.”, Kimberly gave him a fake smile and Jason just glared at her before turning to Trini.

 

“Same thing.”, Trini mumbled, Jason nodding his head before walking away. Trini continued to look at the menu, deciding on the shrimp and grits before setting it down on the table. 

 

“You really look great, Trini.”, Kimberly complimented her once again and Trini blushed.

 

“Thanks. Zack helped me pick it out.”, Trini fiddled with the sleeves of her jacket. 

 

“I didn’t take him for a fashion type of guy.”, Kimberly hummed.

 

Trini laughed when she thought about the first time that she realized how much Zack actually did care about fashion, “He actually cares a lot about fashion. Ty used to throw food at me and the first day that Zack sat next to me, some of it hit him. Not only was he pissed about his shirt, but he was pissed about Ty throwing food at me, so he threw a stale roll at him.”

 

“I’m so sorry. I didn’t know that Ty threw food at you. I didn’t even know that anyone did until I caught Amanda doing it.”, Kimberly avoided Trini’s gaze, ashamed of how she didn’t help out sooner. Trini reached across the table, grabbing Kimberly’s hand, making the girl look up at her.

 

“You’re here now, Kim, that’s what matters.”, Trini gave her a reassuring smile, still holding onto her hand. 

 

“I just wish that I could have just done it earlier on, so then you wouldn’t have had to go through all of that.”, Kimberly was so frustrated with herself for not having the courage until she talked to Jason. 

 

“Kim, look at me.”, Trini pleaded and the brunette brought her gaze up. “I’m ok. Amanda isn’t bothering me anymore and neither is Ty, so it’s fine. Besides, either way I still would have wanted you to be my friend. Well, more than a friend.”, Trini shyly admitted and Kimberly gave her a cocky smile. 

 

“Good to know.”, Kimberly put her hand on top of Trini’s, she then noticed that there were just barely visible bumps on Trini’s wrist. “What’s this?”, Kimberly asked, pointing to Trini’s wrist.

 

“Um, ok so you remember that thing that I wanted to tell you.”

 

“Yeah.”, Kimberly was confused, she didn’t understand what the bumps had to do with whatever it was Trini was telling her.

 

“Ok, so I have NF1 or Neurofibromatosis type 1. It is a genetic disorder that means that there are tumors in random parts of my body.”, Trini listened as Kimberly gasped.

 

She brought a hand up to her mouth, speaking through her hand, “Are any of them cancerous?”

 

“No, none of them are cancerous, but my parents have opted for them to be treated, just in case. Every week, I go to a doctor to get a special kind of chemo injected into me. It makes me weaker and I don’t eat as much, but it helps with the tumors. I actually have an appointment tomorrow and I hate going to them.”, Trini feels Kimberly squeeze her hand and her fingers trace around the bumps.

 

“Do you want me to come with you?”, Kimberly offered, wanting to give the girl as much comfort as possible.

 

“Yes.”, Trini nodded eagerly and Kimberly smiled at her.

 

“Alright, I’ll go with you tomorrow, just make sure that your parents are ok with it.”, Kimberly mentioned and Trini rolled her eyes, thinking about how her mother will react. The rest of the date went wonderfully, even when Jason “accidentally” spill Kimberly’s water on her, and they walked out of the diner, laughing their heads off about random stories from their childhood. They drove back to Trini’s house, still laughing about the story of Trini spitting on a nurse when she was five because she surprised Trini. When they pulled up, neither of them wanted to get out of the car, knowing that they wouldn’t see each other until tomorrow, if Trini’s parents permitted. Getting out of the car, Trini leaned up against it while Kimberly walked around the side to face her. 

 

“I had fun tonight, Kim.”, Trini smiled up at her, looking into her eyes. 

 

“Me too.”, Kimberly shyly glanced down at the ground, kicking a pebble with her shoe before she looked back up at Trini. “So-”, Kimberly was interrupted by Trini gripping her shirt and pulling her down for a soft kiss. Their lips were in sync and fireworks exploded behind both of their eyes. Trini couldn’t believe that she was kissing Kimberly Hart, the girl that she had been crushing on since her first day at school. Both of them pulled apart and rested their foreheads together, breathing heavily until Kimberly took Trini’s lips in hers once again. She pressed Trini to the car, hands getting tangled in her hair as Trini’s hand rested on her waist. 

 

Trini pulled back, “I have to go. Be at my house after school. It’s an afternoon appointment.” 

 

“I’ll be there. Goodnight, babe.”, Kimberly pressed one last kiss to Trini’s lips before she hopped back into her car and drove into the darkness.

 

“Goodnight.”, Trini whispered to no one and walked back to her house. She just kissed Kimberly Hart. She was SO going to brag about this to Zack. 

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

 

Trini’s parents pulled the car into the driveway after school, both of her parents coming to pick her up for her appointment. They hopped out of the car and that’s when Trini saw her, Kimberly was sitting on her front steps, her bag next to her. When she notices Trini’s parents, she straightens her posture and grabs her bag, slinging it over her shoulder before taking a step forward. 

 

“Hi, Mr. and Mrs. Gomez. Um, Trini asked me to come to her appointment today, as long as that’s ok with you.”, Kimberly was trying to be the most respectful person in the world, but Trini couldn’t help the laugh that escaped her. 

 

June rolled her eyes, waving her hand dismissively at the girl, “Trini already talked to us about this last night. It’s fine with us, you’ll just have to sit in the waiting room.” June walked inside the house, Marco walking behind her while looking at his phone. Trini mocked her mother before turning to Kimberly running and jumping into her arms. The taller girl caught her, wrapping her arms around the tiny girl’s waist, pulling away from the hug, Trini kissed Kimberly. What they didn’t see was Marco standing there, a smile on his face as he watched his daughter and the girl that had made her happier than he had ever seen. They pulled away from the kiss, leaning their foreheads together as Kimberly placed Trini back on the ground.

 

“Alright, girls, let’s go.”, Marco said a little too loudly, smiling when they jumped apart. June scowled as she walked out of the house and brushed past Kimberly. The family got into the car, making their way to the doctor’s office. As they were waiting, Trini intertwined her fingers with Kimberly’s. Kimberly could feel Trini shaking and she gave her hand a reassuring squeeze, smiling when she looked over to her. A nurse came out, calling Trini’s name and the girl took a deep breath. Even though it was something that Trini had been doing her entire life, she still felt her stomach jump into her throat when they began walking back to the room. She sat down on the examination table, feeling the familiar panic creeping up on her once again as she was prepped for the shot. Dr. Sharps walked through the door, creepy grin on his face and needle in his hand. 

 

“Ok, Trini, let’s get this over with so that you can get out of here.”, Dr. Sharps walked closer to Trini with the needle. Suddenly, she couldn’t breath. Her breaths were wheezing and her vision was swimming. 

 

“Trini, calm down.”, she heard her mother say, but when a hand reached out for her arm she slapped it away. 

 

“No no no no no….”, Trini whimpered, bringing her knees up to her chest and wrapping her arms around them. She began rocking back and forth, making distressed noises and whenever someone would get near her, the noises would get louder. Nurses were trying to calm her as her parents stood off in the corner, unsure of what to do. “Kimberly….”, Trini squeaked out.

 

An idea popped into Marco’s head, leaning over to his wife’s ear he whispered, “I’ll be right back.” He ran out of the room and down the hallway, opening the door into the waiting room. “Kimberly.”, he saw the girl whip her head around and he beckoned her back. The brunette jumped out of her chair, rushing back only to hear the most heartbreaking sounds coming from what she assumed to be Trini’s room. Walking in, Kimberly saw Trini curled up in a ball, rocking herself on her heels, as nurses were trying to calm her down. 

 

“Can I have a minute with her?”, Kimberly asked, scanning the faces in the room. Everyone nodded, all of them walking out of the room, June being the last one. The door shut and Kimberly sat down next to Trini, pulling the smaller girl into her lap. Running her fingers through Trini’s hair, she hummed a song that she had heard on the radio that morning. After a few minutes, the sounds of distress coming from Trini’s mouth stopped, but her body kept shaking. 

 

“Kim….”, Trini’s voice was weak as she was brought out of her panic. 

 

Kimberly cupped her face, pressing light kisses all over, “I’m here.” Eventually, Kimberly picked her up, placed her on the bed and opened the door to let everyone back inside. They all filled the room to see Trini, heavily leaning on Kimberly, eyes almost closed.

 

Dr. Sharps stood there, disgusted at the scene, but pushed it out of his brain, “Well, let’s do this.” He quickly stuck the needle in Trini’s arm, injecting the liquid into her veins. Trini face frowned slightly and she gripped Kimberly’s hand harder, in response, Kimberly kissed her nose. Injecting the flush, the doctor put a band aid over it before walking out of the room, not uttering another word. Kimberly hopped off of the bed, picking Trini up in her arms before walking out of the office, Trini snuggling more into her neck. The car ride home was silent as Trini slept in Kimberly’s lap. They pulled up to the driveway, Kimberly getting out of the car with Trini still in her arms. She walked up the stairs to Trini’s room and laid her down on the bed. When Kimberly laid down next to Trini, the girl snuggled into her side. The two fell asleep, not caring about what was going on around them.

 

Trini was the first to wake up, a familiar warmth was next to her. She smiled down at the girl next to her, pressing a kiss to her forehead before getting up and walking out of the room. Walking down the stairs, she heard her parents seemingly having a whispering argument and she considered walking back up the stairs before she heard Kimberly’s name mentioned. Leaping down the last couple steps, Trini walked into the living room to see June and Marco sitting on the couch, both with angry looks on their faces. 

 

“What’s going on?”, Trini asked, stepping into the room cautiously. 

 

June snapped her head over to her daughter, speaking in spanish, “ _ Trinity, what is going on with you and that girl?! _ ”

 

“June….”, Marco tried, but his wife just held up a hand.

“Um.”, was the only thing that Trini was able to say.

 

“ _ Tell me right now. _ ”, June demanded and Trini took a step back.

 

“Kimberly is my girlfriend.”, Trini finally admitted. Marco just shrugged, having known since before he saw them this afternoon, but June was fuming. 

 

“ _ We raised you better than this. _ ”, June uttered, standing up to stalk towards her daughter.

 

“Mom, please. I love her.”, a hand slapped Trini across the cheek and tears filled her eyes. Before June could say anything, Trini was trying her best to hightail out of the room. She sped up the stairs and went into her room, slamming the door behind her, waking up the sleeping brunette on her bed. 

 

“Trini?”, Kimberly’s voice was thick with sleep as she turned around to see Trini standing at the door, tears running down her face and her right cheek red. Trini took a few steps before she fell forward, Kimberly shooting out of the bed to catch the girl before she hit the floor. “I got you, I got you.”, Kimberly whispered into her hair, clutching Trini’s head to her chest while the girl sobbed. 

 

“Stay.”, was the only word that Trini got out.

 

“Always.”, Kimberly kissed her on the top of her head. She would always be there for Trini. Always.

 

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

 

**5 years later……..**

 

“I don’t understand why you are asking us for our blessing, Kimberly. We know how much you love Trini and have never doubted it.”, June told the girl who was sitting across from her. Marco wrapped an arm around her shoulders and the two smiled at each other before turning back to Kimberly.

 

She had grown up so much since they were in high school. Kimberly had a full time job at her parent’s company and was fully able to support her and Trini. Right now, she was sitting in front of them, business suit and all, asking for the Gomez parents blessing for Kimberly to ask Trini to marry her. “I know, but it just didn’t feel right asking without knowing what you guys thought.”, Kimberly sat back in the chair, taking a sip of her coffee. 

 

“The one question that I have for you is this: are you sure that you are going to be ok with marrying someone that will never be able to work full time? Trini’s disorder prevents her from doing so.”, Marco leaned forward, elbows on his knees as she stared down his daughter’s girlfriend. 

 

Kimberly felt rage boil up inside of her at the question, “Of course. I fucking love her for god’s sake! It wouldn’t matter to me if she was paralyzed, I would still love her the same.”

 

“Then you have our blessing.”, Marco put his hands up. Kimberly smiled at them, glad that she was going to be marrying the woman of her dreams. 

 

**4 hours later....**

 

Kimberly nervously stood in the middle of the diner, waiting for Trini to arrive. Jason’s mother had offered Kimberly the entire diner when she said that she was proposing and Jason helped her set everything up. A car roared up into the parking lot and Kimberly smiled, seeing her future wife getting out. Trini had since cut her hair shorter and Kimberly thought that it was incredibly sexy. The woman walked up to the door, hips swaying and she opened the door. Walking in, Trini’s eyes sparkled when she saw what Kimberly had set up and she smiled when she saw Kimberly. 

 

“When you called me here, I thought it was to just have a regular date night. I didn’t know that you would be renting out the whole restaurant.”, Trini made her way to her girlfriend, wrapping her arms around her neck to pull her into a kiss. 

 

“How was work?”, Kimberly asked and Trini groaned.

 

“It was tiring, as always.”, Trini kissed her nose. “What is it that you have planned?”

 

“I just have something that I wanted to tell you.”, Kimberly smiled at her.

 

“Go on.”, Trini nodded her head, stepping back and unwrapping her arms from Kimberly’s neck.

 

“Trini, you are the greatest thing that has ever happened to me. You introduced me to a side of myself that I didn’t even know existed. When I saw you on your first day, I was instantly drawn to you and that ratty old beanie of yours.”, Trini giggled when Kimberly mentioned the beanie. She had tried for years to by Trini a new one, but the girl refused. “It kills me everyday to know that I let those bitches bully you for so long, but as you always tell me, at least I’m here now. Watching you go through all of those treatments has made me realize just how strong you are and how strong you make everyone around you. I want to live out the rest of my days with you by my side to cheer me on and grow old with. So, Trinity Santana Gomez, will you marry Kimberly Ann Hart?”, Kimberly got down on one knee, pulling the ring out of her back pocket.

 

“Yes, she will.”, Trini jumped into Kimberly’s arms, kissing her like there was no tomorrow. Kimberly slid the ring on Trini’s finger and they kissed again. Trini finally whispered something against Kimberly’s lips, “Always?”

 

Kimberly smiled, “Always.” She could have never predicted this moment when she was sitting in that biology classroom and the new girl walked in. Kimberly never could have known that she was the one who would give her life purpose. Kimberly never could have known that tiny little girl, would make her want to stay. Always. 

  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Hi guys,   
> So I wrote this for YoungatHeart21, who has become one of my friends in these past couple months. She has always supported my writing and I really appreciate her friendship. I read a post of her's on tumblr about representation of these types of genetic disorders and I asked her if she wanted me to write a fic about it. She said yes and we worked on it together. The finished product is the work of both of us and I dedicate it all to her. Love ya buddy!  
> Thanks for reading! Love you guys!


End file.
